April 28

…He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain … ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’ Mark 2:23, 27

[🔊 The Pharisees objected to hungry men taking handfuls of grain because it was on the Sabbath. Their error lay in that they began their interpretation of the Law from the point of view that God is both religious and nit-picking. This is a serious error, since all interpretation of God’s Word must begin from the basis that God is good and gave His Word to bless us and do us good. If we start from any other place, we misrepresent God. Note God’s largeness of heart: He created the Sabbath for mankind. Every day is not made for its own sake, it is not made for the sun that rules the day, nor for the moon and stars that rule the night. No, all these things are made for the delight and blessing of mankind, i.e. YOU! We should not live in craven fear over whether we have upset God because of some little religious observance. God loves us, and when His children are hungry He wants us to be satisfied. The disciples must have felt the sunshine of His love in their hearts, and the delight He felt that their hunger was satisfied. Learn to live under God’s smile. Interpret each day in the light of God’s joy over you.